After yet another disappointing Premier League outing, Arsenal return to league cup action hoping for a change in fortunes, but against the best team in England, it's going to be an almost impossible task.
With changes very likely, it could be a refreshed Arsenal XI deployed at Anfield. However, with so much unrest at the club right now, which still needs to be sorted out by Emery, Sanllehi and co that this game could actually be far bigger than perhaps it should be. If the Gunners sat third having beaten both Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, which quality of squad dictates they should have, then this would just be a routine 4th round tie with a stab at one of the big boys. But sadly, it's not that at all. It represents another potential fumble for the man in charge and one that he's likely to again fall short in. European form aside (which wasn't overly great last week anyway), a loss against Liverpool would yield five domestic games with only one win, and for a club with top quality names like Aubameyang, Pepe, Lacazette, Luiz and Bellerin, it must be better when two of these games include Sheffield United away and Crystal Palace at home. Having already been to Anfield in the league this season and lost, the Gunners know it will be a battle, regardless of team selections, players and shape.
Again, there is speculation over Mesut Ozil and his inclusion in the squad for this clash. He's seemingly fit and available suggesting he finally could be in an Emery squad for the second time this season. However, we've seen the likes of Willock and Smith-Rowe earn minutes in his place across the cup competitions this year but against a real big force in Liverpool, surely Ozil's experience and creativity warrants him a place. To start, I doubt, but he has to be an option, for sure, and the rumours are that he is a part of the squad which is a real positive. In goal, Emiliano Martinez will replace Bernd Leno, and in looking for his fifth win on the bounce, he'll be more than up for it. Mustafi and Holding are likely to come into the back line although, Holding should perhaps be replacing Sokratis in Emery's league side but that's a different matter. Hector Bellerin is also likely to see more valuable minutes.
Midfield is likely to include the likes of Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock, whilst Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will be pushing for starting spots going forward. With Wolves visiting the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, Emery faces the conundrum of balancing a tough mid week fixture with an equally tough weekend game, as the likes of Aubameyang, Pepe and Lacazette won't play the full ninety in both - but perhaps need to satisfy fans and win matches. It's a balance Unai Emery needs to find but his sheer incompetence of late suggests that he'll struggle with that too. The issues surrounding Granit Xhaka and his future at the club could see him miss out tonight but that being said he's sat out many of these types of games already this season.
Our hosts sit top of the Premier League and are comfortable. They have talent in every position, are filled with immense confidence and if that all fails, they have Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to win them football matches. The self-belief instilled in every player is a testament to the great job Jurgen Klopp continues to do and the club itself is a real blue print for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United to study. However, they too are likely to make an abundance of changes. Most of Sunday's starters against Spurs are unlikely to start again. However, Liverpool can still bring in names like Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and Lallana; all names capable of winning football games by themselves in some respects. All names Arsenal will have to contend with as they face an uphill battle to come away with a win but if ever there was a chance to do so, it's with Alisson, van Dijk, Fabinho and Robertson all left out. Liverpool's back up defence isn't anywhere near as good as their back up midfield, something Arsenal should target and try to rattle throughout the game.
Expected lineup:
GK: Emiliano Martinez
RB: Hector Bellerin
CB: Rob Holding
CB: Skhodran Mustafi
LB: Sead Kolasinac
CM: Lucas Torreira
CM: Joe Willock
CAM: Emile Smith-Rowe
RW: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
ST: Alex Lacazette
LW: Gabriel Martinelli
Prediction: a tough 2-1 loss with Liverpool progressing to the 5th round.
@craigbennett10
With changes very likely, it could be a refreshed Arsenal XI deployed at Anfield. However, with so much unrest at the club right now, which still needs to be sorted out by Emery, Sanllehi and co that this game could actually be far bigger than perhaps it should be. If the Gunners sat third having beaten both Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, which quality of squad dictates they should have, then this would just be a routine 4th round tie with a stab at one of the big boys. But sadly, it's not that at all. It represents another potential fumble for the man in charge and one that he's likely to again fall short in. European form aside (which wasn't overly great last week anyway), a loss against Liverpool would yield five domestic games with only one win, and for a club with top quality names like Aubameyang, Pepe, Lacazette, Luiz and Bellerin, it must be better when two of these games include Sheffield United away and Crystal Palace at home. Having already been to Anfield in the league this season and lost, the Gunners know it will be a battle, regardless of team selections, players and shape.
Again, there is speculation over Mesut Ozil and his inclusion in the squad for this clash. He's seemingly fit and available suggesting he finally could be in an Emery squad for the second time this season. However, we've seen the likes of Willock and Smith-Rowe earn minutes in his place across the cup competitions this year but against a real big force in Liverpool, surely Ozil's experience and creativity warrants him a place. To start, I doubt, but he has to be an option, for sure, and the rumours are that he is a part of the squad which is a real positive. In goal, Emiliano Martinez will replace Bernd Leno, and in looking for his fifth win on the bounce, he'll be more than up for it. Mustafi and Holding are likely to come into the back line although, Holding should perhaps be replacing Sokratis in Emery's league side but that's a different matter. Hector Bellerin is also likely to see more valuable minutes.
Midfield is likely to include the likes of Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock, whilst Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will be pushing for starting spots going forward. With Wolves visiting the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, Emery faces the conundrum of balancing a tough mid week fixture with an equally tough weekend game, as the likes of Aubameyang, Pepe and Lacazette won't play the full ninety in both - but perhaps need to satisfy fans and win matches. It's a balance Unai Emery needs to find but his sheer incompetence of late suggests that he'll struggle with that too. The issues surrounding Granit Xhaka and his future at the club could see him miss out tonight but that being said he's sat out many of these types of games already this season.
Our hosts sit top of the Premier League and are comfortable. They have talent in every position, are filled with immense confidence and if that all fails, they have Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to win them football matches. The self-belief instilled in every player is a testament to the great job Jurgen Klopp continues to do and the club itself is a real blue print for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United to study. However, they too are likely to make an abundance of changes. Most of Sunday's starters against Spurs are unlikely to start again. However, Liverpool can still bring in names like Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and Lallana; all names capable of winning football games by themselves in some respects. All names Arsenal will have to contend with as they face an uphill battle to come away with a win but if ever there was a chance to do so, it's with Alisson, van Dijk, Fabinho and Robertson all left out. Liverpool's back up defence isn't anywhere near as good as their back up midfield, something Arsenal should target and try to rattle throughout the game.
Expected lineup:
GK: Emiliano Martinez
RB: Hector Bellerin
CB: Rob Holding
CB: Skhodran Mustafi
LB: Sead Kolasinac
CM: Lucas Torreira
CM: Joe Willock
CAM: Emile Smith-Rowe
RW: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
ST: Alex Lacazette
LW: Gabriel Martinelli
Prediction: a tough 2-1 loss with Liverpool progressing to the 5th round.
@craigbennett10
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